Letter: Nielsen out of touch with people he represents

State Sen. Jim Nielsen recently sent many of us a two-page letter, urging us to resist the proposed ban on fracking in Butte County. His letter mostly repeats the discredited claims and deceptions offered by gas-and-oil industry spokespeople and lobbyists.

Nielsen stated the proposed ban is the work of "a small band of activists." The small band currently includes about 7,000 Butte County voters who have signed the petitions, the Butte County Water Commission and the Butte County Board of Supervisors. Which isn't my idea of a small band.

Nielsen was invited to the May 8 League of Women Voters/Enterprise-Record candidates forum. He didn't come, and he didn't tell anybody that he wasn't coming. There are also questions about where Nielsen actually resides. It's not hard to get the impression that Nielsen is out of touch with the people of Butte County, and that he likes it that way.